Posted on 02/18/2006 6:34:25 PM PST by dpa5923
CHICAGO (AFP) - A clash over of their son's circumcision has landed the parents of an eight-year-old Illinois boy in a US court where there is no apparent precedent.
A Cook County judge ordered the mother in the case not to have her son circumcised until the court can hear arguments from the child's father, who opposes the operation, and decide if it is in the boy's best interest.
Jews and Muslims circumcise their sons for religious reasons.
But this case instead involves shifting medical and cultural preferences, which have recently become a matter of debate in the United States.
The mother, 31, is a homemaker from Northbrook, Illinois. She says two doctors recommended the procedure for health reasons.
But her ex-husband, 49, a building manager in Arlington Heights, Illinois, has called the procedure an "unnecessary amputation" that could cause his son physical and emotional harm.
In the 1900s, surgical circumcision, in which the foreskin of the penis is removed usually before a newborn leaves the hospital, was the norm in the United States.
But the percentage of US babies being circumcised has plunged from an estimated 90 percent in 1970 to some 60 percent now, data show.
The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends routine neonatal circumcision but says the decision should be left to the parents. That has added fuel to the fire where until recently there was little debate on the issue at all among the US Christian majority.
Some staunch opponents of the procedure see it as akin to female genital mutilation. They argue that the procedure is medically unnecessary and morally wrong. Still others have launched support groups for those who have been circumcised and would rather not have been; some have even pursued surgical options for restoration.
Legal experts however say that there are no published US opinions to serve as precedents in this case. As such it normally would be determined based on the best interests of the child.
When the divorced parents appeared Friday in Cook County Circuit Court, Judge Jordan Kaplan got the two sides to agree that the child would not be circumcised "until further order of (the) court."
He also also ordered them not to discuss the case with their child.
Tracy Rizzo, an attorney for the mother, said the father scared the child by telling him frightening stories about what might happen if he were circumcised.
The father's lawyers, John D'Arco and Alan Toback, have argued that the couple's divorce agreement provides that the father must be consulted before any non-emergency medical care.
Male circumcision is much more widespread in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East than in Asia, South America, Central America, and most of Europe.
Please. I give my sister credit for recognizing the difference between a baby crying for no reason and a baby crying from pain.
>>>I know NOT ONE woman who disagrees with me.
Just about all the women I know prefer non-circumcised. I guess it depends on who you hang out with.>>>
Guess so.
A very liberal lady of my acquaintance saw my lopped-off Weim when he was a pup of three months or so, and she said (quoting from memory here): "Oh, cutting off his tail is so cruel; and by the way, when are you going to have him neutered?"
Some cuts are more cruel than others.
If it hurt, I can't remember… thank goodness.
"Some cuts are more cruel than others."
Yes they are...LOL
>>>You can do something because the Bible tells you to, or you can wait for the final science to come in and give its verdict. Same result!>>>
WELL SAID!!!
People said a few generations back, hey, why marry before sex?? That's outdated and fuddy duddy. Now we know that God had a reason for telling us not to.
Also said to cleave to your spouse, but hey, who does it hurt to divorce on a whim? Well, children (and now adults like me) are suffering the result of willy nilly divorces.
(Boy, to many cutesy words this post, lol)
Well, I'm not an illegal alien, nor am I a leftist, and I despise Europe. And I was circumcised but my 2 sons are not. Lots of other parents just like me -- Christians, conservatives, etc -- are rejecting the procedure which was done to us, as unnecessary for our kids.
Will the doctors be called? I would think that this would be a very important part of the testimony. In general I am not in favor of anything being cut off a 8 year old but if it is medically necessary then the situation changes.
Well, dpa, give me the medical reasons.
I'm assuming you've read a transcript of the judicial proceedings?
No, I didn't think you had.
In the absence of a sound, thought out, educated reply, you can go wonder out loud and then fall asleep on your pallet.
No, I didn't miss post #7. First, African AIDS rates have a lot of causes. While there may be some correlation to whether a man has been circumcized, there are a lot of other factors involved that aren't noted. Second, I think a google search will find just as many anti-circumcision sites discussing health benefits of not doing it as you will find pro-circumcision sites discussing the health benefits of cutting it off. It boils down to aesthetics.
Not so fast. All those diseases can be prevented by monogamy. No need to mutilate boys.
>>>"I know of no women...other than you now who prefer's a non-circumcized man"
They must be cheese lovers.>>>
AAAAHHHH Oh my gosh. LOLOL
you were probably influenced by leftist granola thinking even if you don't identify yourself as one. they're the ones who got the ... ball.. rolling on this anti-circumcision campaign.
they think we're stupid Americans and should be more like the rest of the world.
I'll bet you that President Bush is circumcised, while Kofi Anan is not. I know whose side I am on...
That's how doctors make a living.
It's like your local Chevy dealer recommending that you buy a new car.
Now that bears repeating.
Agreed.. for instance, intelligent and chaste people are more likely to be circumcised.
>>>My wife wanted me to relay 2 messages:
1. She has no preference one way or the other. (Though I would personally interject that anecdotal evidence seems to suggest a preference contrary to yours).>>>
What anectodal evidence. I cannot believe more women prefer uncut. Sorry, just don't. Except an uncut man searching to find evidence that he is prefered.
>>>2. If you have this done to an infant or child, make sure a Urologist does it; she's sat through too many revisions as an anesthesiologist. It's not pretty.>>>
Will do so if I ever have another son. Thanks..
We have to keep in mind, this is a divorce situation. The mother got expert testimony to support her position.
Circumcision can be serious. A friend of mine was circumcised. He couldn't walk for a year!
bada bing
And a 0 year old would be different... how?
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